Push Kick To Flying Roundhouse Kick
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Flying Roundhouse Kick·Astral Kinetics
Ever wonder how to throw a flying kick? Well, if you know the roundhouse kick and push kick then you may be able to do t…
Flying Roundhouse Kick
SubFamily飛び回し蹴り(Tobi Mawashi-geri)
TraditionalTranslation: flying roundhouse kick
Overview
The Flying Roundhouse Kick subfamily covers roundhouse kicks delivered while the attacker is airborne, combining a forward leap with a circular kicking motion to strike the opponent's head or body with the shin or instep. [1] The jump adds height to the kick, allowing the attacker to target over the opponent's guard, and the forward momentum increases the mass behind the impact. [1],[2] Flying roundhouse kicks are visually spectacular and can be devastatingly powerful, but they require precise timing and distance to avoid landing in a vulnerable position. [2],[3]
History & Origin
Flying roundhouse kicks are featured in taekwondo, karate, and Chinese kung fu, where aerial kicks have been developed as both martial techniques and acrobatic displays. [1] In competitive MMA, fighters such as Anthony Pettis and Edson Barboza have used flying roundhouse kicks to produce spectacular knockouts. [2],[3]
Effectiveness
The flying roundhouse delivers a roundhouse kick while airborne. [1]
Lineage
From TKD and karate. [1]
Competition Record
Used in TKD and MMA competition. [1]
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Biomechanical Mechanism
Primary Action — Ballistic leg extension or rotation — the shin or foot impacts the target at high velocity
Joints Involved — Hip (flexion/rotation), knee (extension for front kicks, flexion-extension for roundhouse), ankle (stabilised)
Force Vector — Linear (front kick/teep — hip flexion and knee extension) or rotational (roundhouse — hip rotation with shin contact)
Kinetic Chain — Pivot foot rotation → hip turn → femur whip → shin contact — the leg acts as a heavy bat with the hip as the pivot
Position & Entry
From fighting stance (rear leg) — Pivot on the lead foot, swing the rear leg in a circular arc, strike with the shin, rotate the hips fully through the target
From fighting stance (lead leg) — Switch-step or throw directly, shorter arc but faster, used for speed and range management
As counter (after checking) — Check the opponent's kick, plant the foot and immediately return the roundhouse
Videos
1 video
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Ratings
Risk of injury to the person this technique is applied to
7
Very High7/10
Airborne kicks maximize momentum; high injury risk to both fighters
Skill level needed to execute this technique reliably
Expert
Whether this technique is allowed under major competition rule sets
Illegal
WBC/Boxing — All kicks prohibited in boxing {src— WBC Rules of Boxing}
Legal
— Unified MMA — Legal striking technique
Unified Rules of MMA, August 2025PDFKyokushin — Legal at full power to body and head {src— IKO Kyokushin Tournament Rules}
— WT — Legal, body kick 2 points, head kick 3 points, spinn...
WT Competition Rules 2024PDF— WAKO — Legal in Full Contact and Low Kick formats
WAKO Competition RulesPDFK-1/GLORY — Legal {src— K-1/GLORY Kickboxing Rules}
— IFMA — Legal — kicks are a core Muay Thai technique
IFMA Muay Thai RulesPDFTraining Notes
✓Leap forward and deliver a roundhouse kick while airborne, using the body's rotational and forward momentum
✓The flying roundhouse typically targets the head, using the shin as the contact surface
✓Drive off the lead foot and swing the rear knee upward, then fire the roundhouse at the peak of the leap
✓The hip must turn over completely while airborne — the same mechanics as a ground-based roundhouse but with added momentum
✓This is one of the most spectacular techniques in combat sports when it lands
✓Use it against an opponent who is backing straight up — the flying roundhouse bridges the retreating distance
✓In Taekwondo, the flying roundhouse is a premium scoring technique
Common Mistakes
!Not rotating the hip over while airborne — the kick becomes a jumping slap without proper hip turnover
!Jumping too high and landing heavily instead of jumping forward and landing on balance
!Not spotting the target before leaping — a flying kick to an empty space is a dangerous waste of energy
!Landing with the kicking leg extended, unable to retract and defend
!Attempting the flying roundhouse from a standstill — you need forward momentum from a step or skip
!Over-rotating in the air and spinning past the target
!Dropping both arms during the aerial rotation, leaving the head exposed during and after landing
Related Techniques
Counter Techniques
Setup Chain
1Stance and Range — verify correct distance for the kick to land at full extension
2Chamber the Leg — lift the knee to prepare the kicking trajectory
3Execute the Kick — extend the leg through the target with the appropriate striking surface
4Recover — retract the leg and return to fighting stance
Sources & References
Primary Source
Karate-Do Kyohan: The Master Text (Gichin Funakoshi, 1935)
1BookMuay Thai: The Art of Fighting (Kraitus, 2002)
Alias sources — [1] Kukkiwon Taekwondo Textbook (Kukkiwon, 2006) [2] Dynamic Karate (Nakayama, 1966) [3] Taekwondo: The State of the Art (Park, 1989)
2BookKarate-Do Kyohan (Funakoshi, 1935)
Effectiveness sources — [1] Comprehensive Asian Fighting Arts (Draeger & Smith, 1969)
Official karate technique names (和語/漢語)
4OtherJapanese Martial Arts Standard Terminology (武道用語)
Established Japanese martial arts naming convention — native Japanese term (和語/漢語)
5CitationMuay Thai: The Art of Fighting (Kraitus, 2002)
Alias sources — [1] Kukkiwon Taekwondo Textbook (Kukkiwon, 2006) [2] Dynamic Karate (Nakayama, 1966) [3] Taekwondo: The State of the Art (Park, 1989)
6CitationKarate-Do Kyohan (Funakoshi, 1935)
Effectiveness sources — [1] Comprehensive Asian Fighting Arts (Draeger & Smith, 1969)
Community
Athletics
Requires
hip flexibility, rotational hip power, balance on support leg
Favours
long legs for reach, flexible hips for high kicks
Key muscles
hip flexors, glutes, quadriceps, obliques, calves
Sub-techniques
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to know how to do a push kick before learning the flying roundhouse kick?
Yes, you need to know how to do a push kick first, as it's a prerequisite technique for the flying roundhouse kick combination.
How do I generate the lift needed to get airborne for the flying roundhouse kick?
After landing from your push kick, dig in your toes into the ground to lift off for the roundhouse—this toe dig is what generates the necessary lift to get airborne.
Should I dig my toes hard into my training partner when practicing this move?
You can do this slightly with a partner since digging in hard isn't pleasant; save the harder version for heavy bags or tournament situations where you're not concerned about your partner's comfort.
How does the Flying Roundhouse Kick work?
The Flying Roundhouse Kick subfamily covers roundhouse kicks delivered while the attacker is airborne, combining a forward leap with a circular kicking motion to strike the opponent's head or body with the shin or instep. The jump adds height to the kick, allowing the attacker to target over the opponent's guard, and the forward momentum increases the mass behind the impact.
Where does the Flying Roundhouse Kick come from?
Flying roundhouse kicks are featured in taekwondo, karate, and Chinese kung fu, where aerial kicks have been developed as both martial techniques and acrobatic displays. In competitive MMA, fighters such as Anthony Pettis and Edson Barboza have used flying roundhouse kicks to produce spectacular knockouts.
Is the Flying Roundhouse Kick legal in competition?
Unified MMA: legal — Legal striking technique; WBC/Boxing: banned — All kicks prohibited in boxing; WKF: legal — Legal, chudan (body) kick scores 2 points, jodan (head) kick scores 3 points; Kyokushin: legal — Legal at full power to body and head; WT: legal — Legal, body kick 2 points, head kick 3 points, spinning body 4 points, spinni…; WAKO: legal — Legal in Full Contact and Low Kick formats; K: legal — 1/GLORY — Legal; IFMA: legal — Legal — kicks are a core Muay Thai technique
How dangerous is the Flying Roundhouse Kick?
Danger rating 7/10. Very High — airborne kicks maximize momentum; high injury risk to both fighters
How do I set up the Flying Roundhouse Kick?
The standard setup chain: Stance and Range → Chamber the Leg → Execute the Kick → Recover.
How do I defend against the Flying Roundhouse Kick?
Standard counters include: Check (Shin Block) — raise the shin to intercept the kick before it lands / Catch and Sweep — catch the kicking leg and sweep the standing leg / Step Inside — close distance inside the kick's effective range to smother it.
What are the variants of the Flying Roundhouse Kick?
Common variants: Standard roundhouse (rear leg) (full hip rotation, shin strikes the target); Lead leg roundhouse (switch kick) (switch-step to generate power from the lead side); Low roundhouse (leg kick) (targeting the thigh to damage the opponent's base); Head kick (high roundhouse targeting the temple or jaw).
How effective is the Flying Roundhouse Kick in competition?
Used in TKD and MMA competition.
What are common mistakes when doing the Flying Roundhouse Kick?
Top errors to watch for: Not rotating the hip over while airborne — the kick becomes a jumping slap without proper hip turnover / Jumping too high and landing heavily instead of jumping forward and landing on balance / Not spotting the target before leaping — a flying kick to an empty space is a dangerous waste of energy / Landing with the kicking leg extended, unable to retract and defend.
What are other names for the Flying Roundhouse Kick?
The Flying Roundhouse Kick is also known as Tobi Mawashi-geri, Twi-eo Dollyo Chagi, Tobi Mawashi Geri, Jumping Roundhouse.